21 of The Best Open-Ended Toys to Encourage Creativity and Imagination

Over the years, my girls have dressed up as chefs and “served” us a three-course meals, taken care of horses and zoo animals, built a fort out of tree branches that’s “only for kids” and created whole cities in our living room – complete with a swimming pool, basketball court, and music room.

Often times kids need very little to take part in pretend play – a few tree branches, pine cones, or simply just a room or yard to run around in.

But sometimes toys – especially toys that are open-ended, or rather, have no specific purpose but are designed to be left to child’s imagination – can help inspire new storylines or simply add to whatever goal kids have in their play.

We’ve been parents now for ten years and seen a number of toys – both purchased, gifted and handed down – come into our house. It’s without a doubt that open-ended toys have had the greatest longevity and continue to be popular even as our daughters get closer to adolescence.

The following is a list of toys our girls have enjoyed over the years and a few others that stand out as sure winners.

Open-Ended Building Toys

Building toys are great for promoting imaginative play. Kids don’t need to be aspiring architects to have fun erecting castles or towers. My kids also incorporate blocks into more elaborate fort designs.

Dress-up clothes come in handy when kids want to put together a show or simply pretend they’re a fairy, a pirate or in a certain profession. It’s often fairly easy to find dress-up clothes on Craigs List, Freecycle, or consignment shops, but these play silks let kids “design” their own dress-up clothes and any type of wings come in handy to let kids imagine they’re able to fly.

Animal Figures

Just like dolls, animal figures can be used in many of pretend play. There are a wide range of animal figures to choose from, here are just a few:

About S.S.K.

Trying to raise independent, self-sufficient kids isn’t always easy! We want to be supportive parents, but not take over their lives. Where’s the balance? I’m still trying to figure it out myself. Read more about why I started Self-Sufficient Kids here.

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